Pre-war Background
September 18, 1931: Mukden Incident- Japan orchestrates a staged explosion on a railway in Manchuria, falsely accusing Chinese forces of sabotage. This incident serves as a pretext for Japan's full-scale invasion and subsequent occupation of Manchuria.
1932: Establishment of Manchukuo- Japan consolidates its control over Manchuria by creating the puppet state of Manchukuo. They install Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, as its nominal ruler, giving the regime a veneer of legitimacy while maintaining actual control.
1935: Establishment of Unit 731 – In the occupied region, Japan establishes Unit 731, a covert biological and chemical warfare research unit. Led by Shirō Ishii, Unit 731 conducts inhumane experiments on prisoners, primarily Chinese civilians, to develop biological weapons, marking one of the most notorious chapters of Japan’s occupation in Asia.
1937
July 7, 1937: Marco Polo Bridge Incident – Skirmishes between Japanese and Chinese forces near Beijing escalate into full-scale war.
A Japanese reconnaissance photo of Marco Polo Bridge during the incident. Wanping is opposite side of the river by photograph squad of military unit headquarters.
July 25 – July 31, 1937: Battle of Beiping-Tianjin – Japan captures the cities of Beiping (Beijing) and Tianjin.
First pictures of the Japanese occupation of Peiping (Beijing) in China, on August 13, 1937. Under the banner of the rising sun, Japanese troops are shown passing from the Chinese City of Peiping into the Tartar City through Chen-men, the main gate leading onward to the palaces in the Forbidden City. Just a stone’s throw away is the American Embassy, where American residents of Peiping flocked when Sino-Japanese hostilities were at their worst. (AP Photo)
August 13 – November 26, 1937: Battle of Shanghai – A large, bloody battle in which Chinese forces put up significant resistance. However, after months of fighting, Japan captures Shanghai.
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) Special Naval Landing Forces troops in gas masks prepare for an advance in the rubble of Shanghai, China.
|
A famous photo entitled "Bloody Saturday", showing a burned and terrified baby in Shanghai's South Station following an IJN aerial attack against civilians, August 28, 1937
|
September 25, 1937: Battle of Pingxingguan – China’s first major victory of World War II, Communist forces under Lin Biao ambush Japanese troops in Shanxi province. The victory boosts Chinese morale and demonstrates the effectiveness of guerrilla tactics against the Japanese.
December 1 – December 13, 1937: Battle of Nanjing – Japanese forces capture Nanjing, the capital of the Republic of China, leading to the infamous Nanjing Massacre, in which tens of thousands of civilians are killed.
Iwane Matsui enters Nanjing, published by Asahi Shimbun
|
An article on the "Contest to kill 100 people using a sword" published in the Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun. The headline reads, "'Incredible Record' (in the Contest to Cut Down 100 People) – Mukai 106–105 Noda – Both 2nd Lieutenants Go into Extra Innings" by Tokyo Nichinichi Shimbun.
|
1938
February 18, 1938: Bombing of Chongqing begins – Japan launches sustained air raids on Chongqing, the provisional capital of China, with the goal of breaking Chinese morale. The bombing continues intermittently until 1943, resulting in thousands of civilian deaths.
More details
A photograph taken by IJA reporters on 16 June 1940 and published in the Asahi Shimbun showing bombs from IJAAF Type 97/Ki-21 (九七式重爆撃機) heavy bombers exploding on Yuzhong Peninsula
|
Casualties of a stampede during a Japanese air raid in Chongqing in 1941.
|
March 24 – April 7, 1938: Battle of Taierzhuang – A rare Chinese victory that boosts morale as Chinese forces repel a Japanese attack on Taierzhuang.
More details
Chinese troops advance in the streets of Taierzhuang
|
More details
Chinese soldiers in house-to-house fighting in the Battle of Tai'erzhuang
|
April 29 – May 9, 1938: Battle of Xuzhou – A larger engagement in central China, ending in a Japanese victory.
Japanese troops entering Xuzhou
|
Chinese civilians massacred by the Japanese Army in a ditch, Xuzhou
|
June 11 – October 27, 1938: Battle of Wuhan – One of the longest battles of the war. Despite fierce resistance, Japan captures Wuhan, forcing the Chinese government to relocate to Chongqing.
|
|
More details
Japanese armoured vehicles and pioneer troops approaching Wuhan
|
October 21, 1938: Japan captures Guangzhou (Canton), securing southern China's coastline.
Japanese naval landing force blasting Chinese pillbox and marching with the naval flag during the Canton Operation
1939
February 5, 1939: Battle of Nanchang – A Japanese victory leads to the capture of Nanchang, Jiangxi Province.
|
|
September 17 – October 6, 1939: First Battle of Changsha – Chinese forces successfully defend Changsha from Japanese attempts to capture it.
IJA soldiers during the battle of Changsha, September 1939
June 5, 1939: Great Tunnel Massacre during the Chongqing Bombing – A particularly devastating air raid on Chongqing forces thousands of civilians into shelters, resulting in over 2,500 deaths when a fire starts inside the tunnel, causing mass suffocation and trampling.
1940
August 20 – December 5, 1940: Hundred Regiments Offensive – A large-scale Chinese Communist guerrilla offensive against Japanese forces in northern China.
Transcribed from Xinhua's Military World. Capturing the scene of the capture of Niangzi Pass by the Eighth Route Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Taken in 1940. Originally published on Xin Zhonghua Bao, 1940.
Late 1940: Japanese forces conduct the Three Alls Policy ("Kill all, burn all, loot all") as a brutal response to guerrilla activities in occupied regions, causing widespread civilian suffering.
1941
September 6 – October 8, 1941: Second Battle of Changsha – Another successful defense of Changsha by Chinese forces.
A soldier of the IJA 4th Division firing type 92 heavy machine gun during the 1st round of Chángshā operation.
December 7, 1941: Attack on Pearl Harbor – Japan's attack on the United States brings the U.S. into World War II. The Second Sino-Japanese War becomes part of the broader Pacific War.
"Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. A small boat rescues a seaman from the 31,800 ton USS West Virginia (BB-48), which is burning in the foreground. Smoke rolling out amidships shows where the most extensive damage occurred. Note the two men in the superstructure. The USS Tennessee (BB-43) is inboard."
|
The Empire of Japan's 1941 attack plan on Pearl Harbor
|
1942
December 24, 1941 – January 15, 1942: Third Battle of Changsha – Chinese forces again defend the city successfully, marking their third victory in Changsha.
Chinese child soldiers en route to the Changsha battlefield
|
THE CHINESE VICTORY AT CHANGSHA. AT CHANGSHA A CHINESE SOLDIER MOUNTS HIS SUBMACHINE GUN. HE IS ONE OF THE GROUND STAFF. THE PLANE IS A PART OF A NETHERLANDS FIGHTER SQUADRON IN MALAYA.
|
Throughout 1942, China faces increased pressure as Japan shifts resources to confront the U.S. in the Pacific.
1942: Bombing of Chongqing continues, causing severe civilian casualties and destruction. Despite these efforts, Chongqing remains defiant, and the Nationalist government stays operational.
1943
November 22 – November 26, 1943: Cairo Conference – Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek meets with U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, agreeing that post-war China would be restored and that Japan should lose its occupied territories.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Chiang Kai-shek, and Winston Churchill at the Cairo Conference, 1943.
November 2 – December 20, 1943: Battle of Changde – Japanese forces attempt to capture Changde, but after fierce resistance and counterattacks, the Chinese manage to retake the city.
Pitched battle at Changde.
|
Japanese prisoners taken at Changde.
|
August 23, 1943: The final Bombing of Chongqing by Japan. By this time, the campaign had caused tens of thousands of deaths, but the city had survived as a symbol of Chinese resistance.
1944
April – December 1944: Operation Ichi-Go – Japan launches its largest offensive in China, aimed at linking Japanese-held territories in China and securing a land route to French Indochina. Japan captures key cities such as Luoyang, Changsha, and Guilin.
July 22, 1944: The Dixie Mission begins – The United States sends a diplomatic and military observation team to the Communist-held areas in Yan'an, China. The mission aims to explore cooperation between the U.S. and Chinese Communist forces led by Mao Zedong, who had been fighting Japanese forces through guerrilla warfare. The mission also assesses the military and political potential of the Communists as part of the broader U.S. strategy in China during World War II.
June 22 – August 8, 1944: Battle of Hengyang – After a prolonged siege, Japan captures Hengyang, though they suffer heavy casualties.
Battle of Hengyang June 24 - July 6, 1944
|
Skulls gathered after the Battle of Hengyang
|
1945
April 9 – June 7, 1945: Battle of West Hunan – also known as the Xiangxi Campaign, was one of the last major engagements between Chinese and Japanese forces during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Taking place in the mountainous region of Hunan province, the battle saw Chinese Nationalist forces, bolstered by U.S. supplies and air support, launch a counteroffensive against Japanese troops. Japan, attempting to secure its positions in southern China as part of Operation Ichi-Go, faced fierce resistance. The Chinese forces, commanded by General He Yingqin, inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese, ultimately halting their advance. The victory in West Hunan was a significant morale booster for China and weakened Japanese control, contributing to Japan’s declining ability to sustain its war effort in China as the war neared its end.
August 6 & 9, 1945: The U.S. drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
August 15, 1945: Japan announces its surrender following the atomic bombings and Soviet entry into the war against Japan, marking the end of World War II and the Second Sino-Japanese War.
September 2, 1945: Japan formally surrenders aboard the USS Missouri, ending all hostilities in Asia.
Post-war Asia
Post-war Asia underwent significant transformations as countries across the continent sought independence, rebuilt economies, and navigated shifting political alliances in the aftermath of World War II. Japan, having surrendered unconditionally, experienced occupation by Allied forces led by the United States, initiating a period of demilitarization and democratization that transformed the nation into an economic powerhouse by the 1960s. China, devastated by years of war with Japan, resumed its internal struggle between Nationalist forces and the Communist Party, leading to the Communist victory in 1949 and the establishment of the People's Republic of China, with the Nationalist government retreating to Taiwan. This division remains a central tension in East Asia.
Across Southeast Asia, formerly colonized nations saw accelerated movements for independence. The Philippines gained independence from the United States in 1946, while Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaya launched nationalist movements against Dutch, French, and British colonial powers. These decolonization efforts sometimes erupted into prolonged conflicts, such as the First Indochina War in Vietnam and the Indonesian National Revolution. The Korean Peninsula, liberated from Japanese control, was divided into Soviet-occupied North Korea and U.S.-occupied South Korea, laying the groundwork for the Korean War in 1950 and the ongoing division.
The Cold War shaped Asia's post-war political landscape, with the U.S. and Soviet Union influencing regional alliances and conflicts. This led to the establishment of alliances like SEATO and military interventions, as seen in the Vietnam War. Despite these upheavals, economies in East and Southeast Asia experienced rapid growth, with nations like Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and later China achieving significant industrialization. The post-war period thus marked a dramatic reshaping of Asia, defined by independence movements, Cold War rivalries, economic modernization, and the rise of new global powers.
Across Southeast Asia, formerly colonized nations saw accelerated movements for independence. The Philippines gained independence from the United States in 1946, while Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaya launched nationalist movements against Dutch, French, and British colonial powers. These decolonization efforts sometimes erupted into prolonged conflicts, such as the First Indochina War in Vietnam and the Indonesian National Revolution. The Korean Peninsula, liberated from Japanese control, was divided into Soviet-occupied North Korea and U.S.-occupied South Korea, laying the groundwork for the Korean War in 1950 and the ongoing division.
The Cold War shaped Asia's post-war political landscape, with the U.S. and Soviet Union influencing regional alliances and conflicts. This led to the establishment of alliances like SEATO and military interventions, as seen in the Vietnam War. Despite these upheavals, economies in East and Southeast Asia experienced rapid growth, with nations like Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and later China achieving significant industrialization. The post-war period thus marked a dramatic reshaping of Asia, defined by independence movements, Cold War rivalries, economic modernization, and the rise of new global powers.